Family SUBERITIDAE Schmidt, 1870

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Diagnosis

Globular, ramose, stipitate, massive or encrusting habit. Megascleres usually tylostyles, occasionally styles, strongyloxeas or centrotylote oxeas; microscleres usually absent, when present confined to microrhabds and trichodragmas. In cross section, megascleres are usually arranged in bouquets at the surface, in more massive species becoming progressively confusedly arranged towards the interior, but overall structure may also be strictly radial or show a strong axial orientation. In one genus the spicules at the surface are arranged tangentially. There is no recognizable cortex. In thinly encrusting species spicule orientation is either parallel or perpendicular to the substratum. Modifications of shape and position of the tylostyle heads are common; they can be lobate, pearshaped, drop-shaped or subterminal.

ID Keys

KEY TO GENERA
(1) Sponge stipitate or arborescent, i.e. having a stem of some length separate from further body parts (ovate bodies, branches, lobes, leaf-like structures ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2
Sponge globular, massive or encrusting; if erect there is no distinct stem ------------------------------------------------ 5

(2) Sponge arborescent, with branches similar to the stem ----------------------------------------------------------------- 3
Sponge stipitate with ovate body, or provided with lobes or leaf-like structures ---------------------------------------- 4

(3) Spicules predominantly styles, extra-axial skeleton predominantly with single spicules arranged in brushes at the
surface ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Homaxinella
Spicules predominantly tylostyles; extra-axial skeleton with strong spicule bundles fanning out at the
surface to form brushes ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Plicatellopsis

(4) Sponges with simple stem and ovate body, which may be pearshaped or otherwise elongated; brushes of smaller spicules over radiate bundles of larger spicules ------------------------------------------------------ Rhizaxinella
Sponges with elaborate shape, either pagoda-like with leafshaped lobes, or flabellate or a system of reticulate
branches; tylostyles in a single size category, with peculiarly flattened tyles -------------------------- Caulospongia

(5) Sponge globular, massively lobate or digitate, or massively encrusting ---------------------------------------------- 6
Sponge thinly encrusting, usually not exceeding a cm in thickness -------------------------------------------------------- 9

(6) Spicules exclusively tylostyles ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7
Spicules include oxeas or strongyloxeas -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8

(7) Surface skeleton is a tangential and usually detachable crust carried by subectosomal spicule brushes ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pseudosuberites
No tangential spicules, surface velvety due to palisade of small tylostyles ---------------------------------- Suberites

(8) Oxeas symmetrical relatively small and sharply pointed; skeletal arrangement more or less
confused --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pseudospongosorites
Strongyloxeas in a large size range, usually accompanied by small styles and/or tylostyles in a low quantity;
skeletal arrangement strictly radiate --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aaptos

(9) Tylostyles single erect on the substrate -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10
Tylostyles in bundles or confused -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11

(10) Macroscopically hispid, no ectosomal specialization --------------------------------------------------- Prosuberites
Macroscopically smooth, at the surface tylostyles in brushes ------------------------------------------ Protosuberites

(11) Low spicular density, gelatinous consistency, tylostyles predominantly with peculiarly flattened, lobate tyles; size uniformly small ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Terpios
Tylostyles in a dense palisade at the surface and in thicker specimens arranged in parallel bundles; usually
a large size range; lobate tyles not common ------------------------------------------------------------- Protosuberites

General References

Bergquist, P.R. 1978. Sponges. London : Hutchinson 268 pp. 12 pls 81 figs 15 tables.

Brien, P., Lévi, C., Sarà, M., Tuzet, O. & Vacelet, J. 1973. Spongiaires. pp. 1-716 485 figs in Grassé, P.P. (ed.). Traité de Zoologie. Anatomie, Systématique, Biologie. Paris : Masson et Cie Vol. 3(1).

Burton, M. 1930. Additions to the sponge fauna of the Gulf of Manaar. Annals and Magazine of Natural History 10 5: 665-676

Fromont, J. 1998. Revision of the marine sponge genus Caulospongia Saville Kent, 1871 (Demospongiae: Hadromerida). Part 1. Morphological and skeletal characters. Records of the Western Australian Museum 19: 65-89

Hartman, W.D. 1982. Porifera. pp. 640-666 in Parker, S.P. (ed.). Synopsis and Classification of Living Organisms. New York : McGraw-Hill Vol. 1.

Rützler, K. & Smith, K.P. 1993. The genus Terpios (Suberitidae) and new species in the 'Lobiceps' complex. In, Uriz, M.J. & Rützler, K. (eds) Recent Advances in Ecology and Systematics of Sponges. Scientia Marina 57(4): 381–393

van Soest, R.W.M. 2002. Family Suberitidae Schmidt, 1870. pp. 227-244 in Hooper, J.N.A. & van Soest, R.W.M. (eds). Systema Porifera: A guide to the classification of sponges. New York : Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers Vol. 1.

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